What do a cat, a fox and a camel have in common? Yes, they are animals. More specifically, they are mammals. If we dig around we might find some other common data. But there is one very interesting one that may have gone unnoticed by us. that the cat footprintsas well as those of the rest of the animals mentioned, usually form a single row.
If we are doing things right with our feline friends, a domestic cat should only leave tracks if it knocks over a flower pot and, after jumping on the sand, runs across the white tiles of the living room. We should not see domestic cat tracks in the sand, grass or snow, basically because they are animals that, as invasive species, must be always at home. But, let’s suppose that it has escaped us or that the flowerpot catastrophe has occurred. Let’s also suppose that we have seen a stray cat running on the sand on the beach.
In all these cases, we could observe that the cat tracks follow a single lineinstead of two, as would be typical of an animal with two pairs of legs. This happens because, normally, they walk following something known as direct registration. Evolutionarily, it has been beneficial to them for several reasons that are not necessary for them today, but that are still imprinted in their instinct.
A single line of cat footprints
Animals that walk following the direct register place their hind legs where the front ones were previously, with an elegant swing that manifests itself in a single line of footprints. They do it mainly for two reasons.
On the one hand, for avoid being tracked. The more tracks they leave, the easier it will be for a predator to identify them; and, being a single line, it is more difficult to identify them.
Furthermore, if they are the ones who hunt, by walking this way minimize the chances of making noise. The area of land on which they place their paws is smaller, making it more difficult for them, for example, to step on a twig. Being quiet is essential for a hunter, so this is a very important reason to walk by direct registration.
Other animals that track directly when walking
Cat footprints are not the only ones we can see following a single line. Other animals, such as coyotes, foxes or camels, also walk by direct recording.
In the case of the dogs, it is true that wild specimens still preserve this way of walking. However, unlike cats, domestic dogs, no longer having that need to hunt or go unnoticed so as not to be hunted, do it much less.
Yes, you can see a dog walking through direct registration, but just a moment. Soon after, you’ll probably end up jumping or playing and the footprints will spread over a much larger area of land.
Therefore, they are their relatives still wild, like foxes and coyotes, which usually preserve this majestic and careful way of walking. It’s not just a cat thing.